Ginza Iwa

First of all, a hearty round of congratulations to Ginza Iwa 銀座いわ for getting their first Michelin star for 2015. This is perhaps a significantly less of a WTF than many of the Lei Garden branches getting one (yet again) or Yat Lok (roast goose) getting one. The rubber tire man (sometimes confused with the Pillsbury doughboy) has this effect on people worldwide…
Came here last Christmas when it was a little over a month young. Ginza Iwa 銀座いわ is an official Hong Kong branch, of the well regarded Sushi Iwa 鮨いわ (Ginza), also having a Michelin star awarded previously. Ginza Iwa is on the 30^th floor of the Asia Pacific Center in Central, so one can only imagine how much rent costs. You take the elevator to the 29^th floor, then walk up one flight of stairs (Ginza Iwa Sumibi 岩炭火肉料理 is on the lower level, for grilled premium JP beef).
I’m sure they are a lot busier now but it is well advised to call ahead for reservations, as there is only counter seating or private rooms in the back for larger groups.
The head chef there at the time was Daisuke Suzuki who had apprenticed under Iwa-​san for at least 8 years. Not sure who it is now.
To start, Suzuki san presented a large delectable Japanese oyster, via Hiroshima. Meaty and delicious.
Next came two pieces of buri (yellowtail) and kinmedai (alfonsino) sashimi. For some reason these did not taste as great as they should have, and luckily that was just a one time thing. I would eventually have even better tasting kinmedai at Hikari (Causeway Bay) within a week later (they are now closed).
Then came a small portion of shirako (cod milt) with scallions and ponzu. Pretty good quality stuff, but the top was lightly torched/​seared. This was not as stellar as the pristine piece I had at Ta-​Ke a year ago, where that version was not heated or torched.
Next were thin ribbon like slices of Japanese aoyagi, taken from the body and the ribbon. Far superior to the East Coast USA variety, and was a treat to have this in HK.
Monkfish liver is a signature here, and the texture is unique and different than anything in the USA. I’ve read that the liver is partially cooked from the steaming process, yet retains a good flavor with the fat and juices, while retaining a great creamy texture. This is done very nicely here.
Next was a solid piece of silver cod, or gindara, nitsuke style (braised/​simmered). Really delicious, although I find it odd that something that seems more like an izakaya dish would appear in this progression, although plated and presented in a very kappo ryori like manner.
Next up were two pieces of plain grilled anago (shirayaki) and was quite incredible. Once you have true Edo-​style anago, you cannot enjoy sea eel anywhere else.
Suzuki-​san kicks it up a notch later with kuro-​awabi, steamed abalone, a 3 cubed piece sashimi course with the perfect texture and bite. This was one of my favorites.
Then he surprised me with a small portion of kegani (Hokkaido hair crab), pure meat from the legs. Served with a size of «kani su» (crab vinegar) for dipping. Exquisite to say the least. Following this was a portion of a layered cold vegetable mini dish in dashi that helped give a sense of balance to the meal.
Next surprise: aori ika cut into thin noodles, and mixed in with uni. It’s hard not to like this and say «cholestrol banzai!!!».
Suzuki-​san (actually Suzuki-​chan, he’s a very young and energetic chef!) then takes some kohada, thin slivers of Japanese cucumber (kyuri) and puts some vinegared sushi rice on the backside, then folds the fish slices in half so the cucumber and rice are wrapped inside. The pieces are then stacked together and look oblong and triangular, as if to form a partial floral pattern. Delicious and visually impressive at the same time.
At this point, the chef takes a slice of pristine bluefin dorsal meat and proceeds to marinate it in soy sauce. «Shoyu-​zuke!» I said, to which the chef nodded and smiled. It meant the nigiri course was coming.
So for the nigiri course:
madai
wild bluefin from Hokkaido (marinated)
seared toro
shiro ebi
aji
sayori
akagai
kobashira
uni gohan (rice mixed with uni, with ikura on top)
scallop isobemaki (thin piece of grilled scallop in a piece of crispy seaweed) hamaguri (Edo style clam, but with yuzu juice and yuzu zest instead of sauce)
an ethereal fatty smooth piece of anago
toro takuan hosomaki
two pieces of kanpyo maki
and an amazing tamagoyaki that tasted like a flan and a cheesecake.
The sushi rice was really excellent here.
The meal ended with honeydew from Shizuoka, and cantaloupe from Fukuoka. Incredibly sweet and refreshing.
My wallet curses me. My belly thanks me. I certainly wasn’t dreaming of Jiro that night.